I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to exercise equipment and more particularly, this invention pertains to exercise equipment which serves a variety of useful exercise purposes.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid by individuals to the need to exercise regularly. Public education concerning health has sparked renewed interest in individual programs of diet and regular exercise. Individuals familiar with exercise programs realize the program must address a number of health needs as efficiently as possible. For example, a proper exercise program will include aerobic exercise (such as jumping rope or jogging), muscle development programs (such as weight lifting or rowing), stretching and conditioning programs. Very specialized exercises have been developed for particular activities. For example, tennis players commonly perform exercises for the muscles controlling eye movement to help improve peripheral vision.
To accommodate the various exercise groups necessary to develop a well-rounded exercise program, the art has been flooded with a variety of exercise equipment. Examples range from jump ropes to elaborate universal machines for weight lifting. In between, the art contains various exercise devices such as stationary bicycles, rowing machines and numerous other equipment.
Notwithstanding the large amount of exercise equipment currently available, there is continuous need for additional exercise equipment to overcome certain problems still present in the art which act as barriers to a large portion of the population being able to develop meaningful and regular exercise programs. First, most of the exercise equipment currently available is directed toward a singular exercise group such as aerobic exercise or muscle development exercise. For example, a jump rope is effective for aerobic exercise but not effective for developing muscle tone. Conversely, weight lifting equipment is excellent for muscular development but has little cardiovascular benefits. Another problem associated with the prior art devices is that the equipment can be extremely expensive. Finally, due to the bulk of much of the equipment and the fact that much of it is dedicated to a particular exercise group, a person attempting to develop a meaningful and regular exercise program must have a variety of exercise devices readily available. In today's society which involves substantial travel and time spent in office, such prior art equipment cannot be relied upon to provide meaningful and regular exercise in all necessary exercise groups in a variety of settings.
It is an object of the present invention to present a multi-use exercise device which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is readily transportable during travel so that a regular program of effective and complete physical fitness can be maintained. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus which can be used in an exercise program to address a variety of exercise needs such as cardiovascular conditioning, muscle development, stretching and coordination exercises.